Teeth movement tracking device and method thereof

ABSTRACT

A teeth movement tracking device, including: an input unit for receiving three-dimensional teeth data and image data having the shape of teeth; an image processing unit for combining the three-dimensional teeth data with the image data; a movement tracking unit for detecting the axis of rotation with respect to the rotation of the teeth or temporomandibular joint by analyzing the image data or the three-dimensional teeth data; and a trajectory generation unit for calculating the movement trajectory of the teeth or the temporomandibular joint by analyzing the image data or the three-dimensional teeth data.

CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a National Stage Patent Application of PCTInternational Patent Application No. PCT/KR2016/013635 (filed on Nov.24, 2016) under 35 U.S.C. § 371, which claims priority to Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2016-0055612 (filed on May 4, 2016), which are allhereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a teeth movement tracking device and amethod thereof, and more particularly, to a teeth movement trackingdevice for detecting the movement of teeth to extract the movementtrajectory of the teeth or temporomandibular joint and a method thereof.

Generally, teeth of a person are connected to temporomandibular joint tohave complicated movement according to the degree and direction of themovement of the temporomandibular joint.

Particularly, it is necessary to evaluate the masticatory ability of aperson, to confirm whether or not there is abnormal in thetemporomandibular joint disease, and to confirm how much the teeth orthe temporomandibular joint are deviated from the normal movement inorder to determine the state of the teeth or the temporomandibularjoint.

However, the movement of the temporomandibular joint of a person is notonly very complicated but also the movement thereof is not exposed tothe outside, such that it is very difficult to track the movementtrajectory thereof only with appearance simply.

For this purpose, conventionally, in order to diagnose a person who hasa problem in the temporomandibular joint, the shape of a jawbone hasbeen photographed using a device such as a CT or a MRI.

However, although such a device can photograph the shape of thetemporomandibular joint, there is a problem in that it is not possibleto measure the movement of the temporomandibular joint because it shouldnot be moved during the measurement. The movement thereof has not beentracked because the moving temporomandibular joint could not bephotographed.

Meanwhile, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0082428 (published onJul. 15, 2015) is disclosed as the related art of a technology forestimating the movement trajectory from a specific scan to a next scanthrough three-dimensional scan within an oral cavity and compensatingfor the movement trajectory.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a teeth movement tracking device and amethod thereof, and more particularly, to a teeth movement trackingdevice and a method thereof, which combines teeth data with facial dataof a moving person, detects a feature point to track the movementthereof, thus generating trajectory data according to the movement ofteeth or temporomandibular joint.

A teeth movement tracking device in accordance with the presentdisclosure includes an input unit for receiving three-dimensional teethdata and image data having the shape of teeth; an image processing unitfor combining the three-dimensional teeth data with the image data; amovement tracking unit for detecting the axis of rotation with respectto the rotation of the teeth or temporomandibular joint by analyzing theimage data or the three-dimensional teeth data; and a trajectorygeneration unit for calculating the movement trajectory of the teeth orthe temporomandibular joint by analyzing the image data or thethree-dimensional teeth data.

In addition, the image processing unit can align the three-dimensionalteeth data with the image data and synchronize the movement thereof.

In addition, the input unit can receive the image data having two ormore continuity.

In addition, the image processing unit can convert all or part of theimage data into three-dimensional data.

In addition, the three-dimensional data can be converted using a featurepoint or an attached target on the image data.

In addition, the movement tracking unit can detect the axis of rotationby analyzing the movement of the teeth data or the image data.

In addition, the movement tracking unit can detect the axis of rotationby determining the section having the least movement in the teeth dataor the image data.

In addition, the trajectory generation unit can track the rotation orfree motion of the teeth or the temporomandibular joint with respect tothe axis of rotation detected by the movement tracking unit.

A teeth movement tracking method in accordance with another aspect ofthe present disclosure includes receiving three-dimensional teeth dataand image data having the shape of teeth by scanning a face; combiningthe three-dimensional teeth data with the image data; detecting the axisof rotation with respect to the rotation of the teeth ortemporomandibular joint by analyzing the image data or thethree-dimensional teeth data; and calculating the movement trajectory ofthe teeth or the temporomandibular joint by analyzing the image data orthe three-dimensional teeth data.

In addition, the receiving the image data can receive the image datahaving two or more continuity.

In addition, the combining the three-dimensional teeth data with theimage data can align the three-dimensional teeth data with the imagedata and synchronize the movement thereof.

In addition, the combining the three-dimensional teeth data with theimage data can further include converting all or part of the image datainto three-dimensional data.

In addition, the three-dimensional data can be converted using a featurepoint or an attached target on the image data.

In addition, the detecting the axis of rotation can detect the axis ofrotation by analyzing the movement of the teeth data or the image data.

In addition, the detecting the axis of rotation can detect the axis ofrotation by determining the section having the least movement in theteeth data or the image data.

In addition, the calculating the movement trajectory can track therotation or free motion of the teeth or the temporomandibular joint withrespect to the detected axis of rotation.

The teeth movement tracking device and the method thereof in accordancewith the present disclosure configured as described above can match thethree-dimensional teeth data with the image data that scans the movingface, and then track the movement of the temporomandibular joint basedon the moving face to generate the trajectory data, thus recording themovement of the teeth or the temporomandibular joint that is differentfor each person and tracking precise movement. As a result, it ispossible to perform accurate diagnosis in diagnosis and treatment, andto be used for treatment of prosthesis, correction, and plastic surgeryin post-treatment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration ofa teeth movement tracking device in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement information fortracking the movement of teeth or temporomandibular joint in accordancewith the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining a configuration of thetemporomandibular joint and a method for tracking the movement thereofin accordance with the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5 to 7 are exemplary diagrams for explaining the movement of thetemporomandibular joint of the teeth movement tracking device inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are exemplary diagrams for explaining the movementtrajectory of the temporomandibular joint according to the movement ofthe temporomandibular joint in FIGS. 5 to 7.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating the teethmovement tracking device in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The advantages and features of the present disclosure and the method forachieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodimentsdescribed in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.The present disclosure can, however, be embodied in various forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments disclosed herein;these embodiments are only provided so that this disclosure will bethorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the disclosureto those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains;and the present disclosure is only defined by the scope of the claims.Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout thespecification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration ofa teeth movement tracking device in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a teeth movement tracking device in accordancewith the present disclosure includes an input unit 120, an imageprocessing unit 150, a movement tracking unit 160, a trajectorygeneration unit 170, a control unit 110, and a data unit 190. Inaddition, the teeth movement tracking device further includes anexternal server or another device, for example, an interface unit 140for transmitting and receiving data with a teeth diagnosis system 200,etc. in FIG. 1.

The interface unit 140 receives teeth data from a connected device, andtransmits trajectory data output from the trajectory generation unit 170to the connected device. The interface unit is provided with aconnection port and a wired/wireless communication module.

Herein, the teeth data are data having information on teeth of a person,and include data scanning teeth through a dental scanner,three-dimensional image data, or image data having the shape of theteeth measured by a Computed Tomography (CT) or a Magnetic ResonanceImaging (MRI).

The input unit 120 includes an input means such as at least one button,a switch, and a touch pad. The input unit 120 can receive a start or endcommand for tracking the movement of the teeth or the temporomandibularjoint, and select and input a reference point for tracking the movementthereof.

The input unit 120 can receive the three-dimensional teeth data and theimage data having the shape of the teeth as described above.

The scanner 130 can use a two-dimensional scanner or a three-dimensionalscanner, and can also include a photographing means for photographingthe movement. The scanner 130 scans successively and inputs an object inreal time. For example, the scanner 130 can scan or photograph the faceof a moving person by a moving picture to input it to the input unit 120in real time, and can input two or more consecutive image data to theinput unit 120 in real time.

The scanner 130 photographs or scans the face of the moving person suchas masticatory motion through two-dimensional image processing in realtime to input it to the input unit 120. While a person performs themasticatory motion, the face shape of the person is changed by themovement of the teeth or the temporomandibular joint.

The scanner 130 photographs or scans the moving face for a certain timeto input it as image data.

The image processing unit 150 analyzes and converts the image data inputfrom the scanner 130. Herein, the image processing unit 150 converts allor part of the input image data into three-dimensional data.Particularly, the image processing unit 150 can convert it intothree-dimensional data using a feature point or an attached target onthe image data. The feature point and the target will be describedlater.

The image processing unit 150 combines the input or receivedthree-dimensional teeth data with the image data photographed throughthe scanner. Specifically, the image processing unit 150 generatesthree-dimensional coordinate by mapping the three-dimensional teeth datawith the image data, thus generating three-dimensional moving data.

In this time, the image processing unit 150 can generate thethree-dimensional coordinate at a high speed by mapping the inputthree-dimensional teeth data with the image data of the face. Herein,the image processing unit 150 aligns the teeth data with the image dataand synchronizes the movement thereof.

In addition, when the target is included in the image data, the imageprocessing unit 150 detects the target from the image data.

Meanwhile, the movement tracking unit 160 detects the axis of rotationwith respect to the rotation of the teeth or the temporomandibular jointby analyzing the image data or the teeth data. Particularly, themovement tracking unit 160 detects the axis of rotation by analyzing themovement of the teeth data or the image data, and the movement trackingunit 160 detects the axis of rotation by determining the section havingthe least movement in the teeth data or the image data.

Specifically, the movement tracking unit 160 sets a plurality of featurepoints based on the three-dimensional data and tracks the movement ofeach feature point.

The movement tracking unit 160 detects the axis of rotation by comparingthe movement of the respective feature points to determine a featurepoint having the least movement. Generally, when analyzing the motion ofthe temporomandibular joint that opens a mouth, the motion of thetemporomandibular joint performs an initial rotation motion, and thenafter a certain section, performs the rotation motion with astraight-line motion (a linear motion). Accordingly, it is necessary tofind the axis of rotation for the rotation motion of thetemporomandibular joint in the section performing the initial rotationmotion.

For this purpose, the movement tracking unit 160 detects the axis ofrotation of the temporomandibular joint in the section of the rotationmotion of the teeth through the image data of the face having the bottomof the teeth. As will be described later, the movement tracking unit 160sets a plurality of feature points based on the three-dimensional data,tracks the movement of each feature point, and detects the axis ofrotation by determining a feature point having the least movement amongthe respective feature points.

When the target is included in the image data, the movement trackingunit 160 determines the movement through the movement of the detectedtarget.

In addition, the movement tracking unit 160 sets a reference point,detects the axis of rotation by comparing the distance between thefeature points from the reference point, and detects the up and downmotion and straight-line motion of the teeth or the temporomandibularjoint.

Meanwhile, the trajectory generation unit 170 tracks the rotation orfree motion of the teeth or the temporomandibular joint with respect tothe axis of rotation detected by the movement tracking unit 160.Specifically, the trajectory generation unit 170 detects the feature ofthe axis of rotation of the temporomandibular joint, and the up and downmotion and straight-line motion of the temporomandibular joint that aredetected by the movement tracking unit 160.

The trajectory generation unit 170 finds the trajectory of the linearmotion of the temporomandibular joint to generate trajectory data. Thetrajectory data are stored in the data unit 190.

The output unit 180 can include a display means for outputting anddisplaying data, and in addition, can further include a speaker or anoperation lamp for outputting a progressing state and a warning sound.

The data unit 190 stores the data input through the input unit 120 orthe scanner 130, and the data of the image processing unit 150 and themovement tracking unit 160, and stores the trajectory data of thetrajectory generation unit 170.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement information fortracking the movement of the teeth or the temporomandibular joint inaccordance with the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a plurality of targets can be attached to theface of a person in order to scan a moving face.

When the target is attached to a plurality of locations of the face ofthe person to start scanning, the movement as the person speaks or chewsfood is scanned. The target also moves according to the movement of theface.

The image processing unit 150 extracts the target from the image data,and the movement tracking unit 160 detects the axis of rotation based onthe moved target and extracts the direction and degree of the movementthereof.

Meanwhile, when there is no target on the face of the person, it can beprocessed by setting the feature point as described above.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining a configuration oftemporomandibular joint and a method for tracking the movement thereofin accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates teeth and temporomandibular joint in the skull of aperson, and the teeth, which is divided into maxilla and mandible, movesthrough the movement of the temporomandibular joint to performmasticatory activity.

Accordingly, it is possible to track the movement of the teeth or thetemporomandibular joint to generate trajectory data for the movementthereof so that the abnormality of the teeth or the temporomandibularjoint can be diagnosed.

In this time, it is possible to set a plurality of feature points, todetect the axis of rotation by tracking the movement of the featurepoint according to the movement of the temporomandibular joint, and togenerate the trajectory data thereof.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, when the temporomandibular joint is moved, thefeature point corresponding thereto is moved to the lower end thereof,and the feature point having the least movement based on the movingdegree thereof can be detected as the axis of rotation. For example, aP31 having the least movement among a plurality of feature points P31,P32, P33 can become the axis of rotation.

FIGS. 5 to 7 are exemplary diagrams for explaining the movement of thetemporomandibular joint of the teeth movement tracking device inaccordance with the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, a plurality of feature points P1, P2, P3 areset by distinguishing the maxilla and the mandible with respect to oneaxis before moving the temporomandibular joint.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the plurality of feature points move accordingto the movement of the temporomandibular joint and are thus displayed onnew locations. In this time, the location movements of the secondfeature point P2 and the third feature point P3 are largely appeared. Inaddition, it can be seen that the moving angles or moving distances ofsome of the second feature points P2 and the third feature points P3 aredifferent. That is, it can be seen that the second feature point and thethird feature point have different directionality.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the temporomandibularjoint by overlapping and displaying FIGS. 5 and 6, and referring to FIG.7, the movement directions of the second feature point and the thirdfeature point can be confirmed, respectively.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are exemplary diagrams for explaining the movementtrajectory of the temporomandibular joint according to the movement ofthe temporomandibular joint in FIGS. 5 to 7.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the directionality from the center P11 of thetemporomandibular joint in a first direction D1 is firstly determined,and as illustrated in FIG. 9, the directionality in a second directionD2 is determined. Accordingly, the temporomandibular joint is movedalong a first trajectory L1 in a third direction D3 that is the sum ofthe first direction D1 and the second direction D2.

The trajectory data are generated by storing the movement trajectory.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating the teethmovement tracking device in accordance with the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, teeth data are input S310. In this time, theinput unit 120 can be a scanner or a three-dimensional scanner, or canbe connected to the scanner or the three-dimensional scanner to receivescanned data. In addition, CT data separately photographed can be inputthereto.

The scanner 130 scans a moving face S320. The image data having two ormore continuity are input to the input unit 120 in real time and areprocessed. The image processing unit 150 can generate three-dimensionalcoordinate at a high speed by mapping the input three-dimensional teethdata with the image data of the face.

In this time, the image processing unit 150 uses the three-dimensionalimage data or the CT data of the teeth as the teeth data throughtwo-dimensional processing. The image processing unit 150 generatesthree-dimensional data by combining the teeth data with the image data.

In addition, the image processing unit 150 extracts information on atarget or a feature point S330.

Since a face scan is continuously performed, the extraction of the facescan S340 and the target/feature point S350 is repeatedly performed.

Meanwhile, the movement according to the movement of the teeth or thetemporomandibular joint is tracked using the extracted feature pointS360.

In this time, when the movement according to the movement of the targetis determined or the target is not included therein, it is possible toset the feature point on the face to track the movement thereof.

The movement tracking unit 160 sets a plurality of feature points basedon the three-dimensional data and tracks the movement of the respectivefeature points. The movement tracking unit 160 detects the axis ofrotation by comparing the movement of the respective feature points todetermine the feature point having the least movement S370.

The movement tracking unit 160 detects the axis of rotation of thetemporomandibular joint in the section of the rotation motion of theteeth through the image data of the face having the bottom of the teeth.

The movement trajectory is calculated based on the movement of thetarget or the feature point with respect to the axis of rotation S380.The trajectory data are generated by connecting the movement trajectoryS390. The thus generated trajectory data are transmitted to a treatmentinstitution or a treatment device S400.

The present disclosure is not necessarily limited to these embodiments,as all the constituent elements constituting the embodiment of thepresent disclosure have been described as being combined and operatingtogether. Within the scope of the present disclosure, depending on theembodiment, all of the components can operate selectively in combinationwith one or more.

The description above is merely illustrative of the technical idea ofthe present disclosure, and various modifications and changes can bemade by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosurepertains without departing from the essential characteristics of thepresent disclosure.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to match the teethdata with the image data scanning the moving face, and then to track themovement of the temporomandibular joint based on the moving face togenerate the trajectory data, thus recording the movement of the teethor the temporomandibular joint that is different for each person andtracking precise movement thereof. As a result, it is possible tomanufacture the teeth movement tracking device capable of performingaccurate diagnosis in diagnosis and treatment.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A teeth movement tracking device,comprising: an input unit for receiving three-dimensional teeth data andimage data having a shape of teeth; an image processing unit forcombining the three-dimensional teeth data with the image data; amovement tracking unit for detecting an axis of rotation of atemporomandibular joint with respect to a rotation of the teeth or thetemporomandibular joint by analyzing the image data or thethree-dimensional teeth data; and a trajectory generation unit forcalculating a movement trajectory of the teeth or the temporomandibularjoint by analyzing the image data or the three-dimensional teeth data,wherein the image processing unit converts all or part of the image datainto three-dimensional data, using a plurality of feature points or aplurality of attached targets on the image data, wherein the movementtracking unit detects the axis of rotation of the temporomandibularjoint by comparing movements of the plurality of feature points or theplurality of attached targets and determining a feature point or anattached target, having a least movement in the three-dimensional teethdata or the image data among the plurality of feature points or theplurality of attached targets, as the axis of rotation of thetemporomandibular joint.
 2. The teeth movement tracking device of claim1, wherein the image processing unit aligns the three-dimensional teethdata with the image data and synchronizes a movement thereof.
 3. Theteeth movement tracking device of claim 1, wherein the input unitreceives the image data having two or more continuity.
 4. A teethmovement tracking device, comprising: an input unit for receivingthree-dimensional teeth data and image data having a shape of teeth; animage processing unit for combining the three-dimensional teeth datawith the image data; a movement tracking unit for detecting an axis ofrotation of a temporomandibular joint with respect to a rotation of theteeth or the temporomandibular joint by analyzing the image data or thethree-dimensional teeth data; and a trajectory generation unit forcalculating a movement trajectory of the teeth or the temporomandibularjoint by analyzing the image data or the three-dimensional teeth data,wherein the movement tracking unit detects the axis of rotation of thetemporomandibular joint based on movements of a plurality of featurepoints or a plurality of attached targets on the image data, by trackingthe movements of the plurality of feature points or the plurality ofattached targets and determining a feature point or an attached target,having a least movement among the plurality of feature points or theplurality of attached targets, as the axis of rotation of thetemporomandibular joint.
 5. The teeth movement tracking device of claim1, wherein the trajectory generation unit tracks the rotation or freemotion of the teeth or the temporomandibular joint with respect to theaxis of rotation of the temporomandibular joint detected by the movementtracking unit.
 6. A teeth movement tracking method, comprising:receiving three-dimensional teeth data and image data having a shape ofteeth by scanning a face; combining the three-dimensional teeth datawith the image data, including converting all or part of the image datainto three-dimensional data using a plurality of feature points or aplurality of attached targets on the image data; detecting an axis ofrotation of a temporomandibular joint with respect to a rotation of theteeth or temporomandibular joint based on movements of the plurality offeature points or a plurality of attached targets, by analyzing theimage data or the three-dimensional teeth data for tracking themovements of the plurality of feature points or the plurality ofattached targets in the three-dimensional teeth data or the image dataand determining a feature point or an attached target, having a leastmovement in the three-dimensional teeth data or the image data among theplurality of feature points or the plurality of attached target, as theaxis of rotation of the temporomandibular joint; and calculating amovement trajectory of the teeth or the temporomandibular joint byanalyzing the image data or the three-dimensional teeth data.
 7. Theteeth movement tracking method of claim 6, wherein the receiving theimage data inputs the image data having two or more continuity.
 8. Theteeth movement tracking method of claim 6, wherein the combining thethree-dimensional teeth data with the image data aligns thethree-dimensional teeth data with the image data and synchronizes amovement thereof.
 9. The teeth movement tracking method of claim 6,wherein the calculating the movement trajectory tracks the rotation orfree motion of the teeth or the temporomandibular joint with respect tothe detected axis of rotation.